


Contingency Plans

by Flame_Of_Ice



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 14:55:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11694030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flame_Of_Ice/pseuds/Flame_Of_Ice
Summary: Peter's no boy scout, but he's starting to realise that it never hurts to be prepared, and it seems like he's not the only one who's starting to think about contingency plans...





	Contingency Plans

**Author's Note:**

> Set after Homecoming and before Infinity Wars.

Peter pulled his keys from his pocket, slipped them into the lock and let himself into the apartment.

“I’m home,” he called out, only to freeze at the sight of Adrian Toomes standing behind Aunt May. One of his arms was locked around her body, holding her in place, and the other was holding a gun to her head. His metallic wings stretched over the small space of their lounge room.

“Awww,” Toomes drawled. “Hey kiddo. How was school?”

Horror and fear crawled throughout Peter’s body, immobilising him in place. He’d never been so afraid, not even when he’d been trapped under all that rubble. Aunt May…her eyes were locked on him and there were tear tracks down her face.

“D’you remember what I told you, Petey-boy?” Toomes enquired, a friendly smile on his face and a manic light in his eyes. “D’you remember what I said would happen if you messed with me again?”

“N-n-no!” Peter managed to stutter. “No! Please. Please don’t. Anything else. Please.”

“Peter.” Aunt May’s voice was small and cracked as she spoke his name.

“I always follow through on my commitments, Pete.” Toomes’ grinned as his finger squeezed the trigger.

A gunshot exploded.

“No!” Peter shot up in bed, his chest heaving. His eyes moved over the familiar shapes of his bedroom as his harsh breathing disturbed the quiet of the room.

His pyjama bottoms were soaked in sweat, as were his sheets. He put his head in his hands and tried to calm his breathing as he heard a door open elsewhere in the apartment, and the sound of feet padding on the wooden floors.

A soft knock.

“Peter? Honey?” With his enhanced sight, he could clearly see May standing in the darkened doorway. “Are you OK? I thought I heard a yell.”

Peter drew in a deep breath and attempted to sound as normal as possible as he replied.

“Yeah, ‘m OK.” Epic fail. He sounded like he had that time when he was six and he’d gotten lost in Walmart and thought Aunt May and Uncle Ben had left without him.

May approach the bed and sat down on the edge. She didn’t turn on the light, for which Peter was grateful. It had been hard enough convincing her to let him keep web-slinging, and she watched him like a hawk these days. He was sure that if she thought Spider-Man was turning him into a blubbering wreck, her list of ‘Spider-Man conditions’ would get exponentially longer.

“It’s OK if you’re not, you know” she said, reaching out and running a hand gently over his head. “It’s OK to be affected by what you do out there. It’s a part of being human.”

Peter shook his head and reached out to take hold of her hand.

“It’s not that, exactly. It’s…I had a nightmare that someone I’d made an enemy of came here and…and killed you. In front of me.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” May scooted forward and wrapped him in a hug. Peter squeezed her back as tightly as he dared, a feeling of relief and comfort spreading through him.

She started to rock him side to side, like he was five again.

“Was it Toomes?” she asked quietly.

 “Yeah.” Peter nodded, before explaining the threat Toomes had levelled at him at Homecoming.

“I can’t lose you too, May.” He felt his throat closing up at the thought, but forced the emotion down.

“You won’t.” She whispered.

“You can’t promise that,” Peter replied. “He’s in prison but he could send anyone after you, to get at me.”

May was quiet for a moment.

“It’s a possibility,” she admitted. “Although I think if he was going to do that, he would have done it by now, don’t you?”

Peter thought back to Toomes’ expression in the car. “I don’t know. He struck me as…patient.”

Peter shuddered, and May started running her hand over his head again.

“How about this?” May proposed. “Tomorrow I’m going to go buy as many cans of pepper spray as I can find, and stash them everywhere. In the apartment, my car, my handbag. Everywhere.”

Peter snorted humourlessly at the idea of May taking on an alien-weapon-wielding goon with a can of pepper spray.

May kept talking. “And I think you, mister, should call Tony Stark. Get his perspective on this.”

“May. I can’t just call him up any time I want.”

“Sure you can,” her eyes narrowed. “At least, now that you’ve got his direct line, you can.”

Yup, May had been super-pissed to learn that Peter didn’t have Tony’s phone number when he was flinging himself around Queens in a Tony Stark creation. May had let Tony know how super-pissed she was. Peter now had Tony’s phone number.

Peter started to object again, but May cut him off.

“Peter honey, this is what a mentor is supposed to do. Tell you how they dealt with similar situations, so you can learn from their experiences.”

“Maybe.”

“Definitely,” May said decisively. “Promise me you’ll call him tomorrow. You don’t have to tell him about tonight, if you don’t want to. Just tell him what you’re concerned about.”

The more Peter thought about it, the better May’s idea sounded.

He nodded into her shoulder. “OK. I promise.”

* * *

 

That was how Peter found himself, between second and third period the next day, calling Tony’s number. He’d never actually rung Tony directly before. In the quiet spot he’d found down a hallway, he listened to the phone ring, unsurprised when Tony’s voicemail kicked in.

“This is Tony. If you’re anyone other than Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Nat or the kid, what the hell are you doing here? Back off, call my work number. If you’re one of the Chosen Ones, you know the deal, here comes the beep.”

Peter face split into a grin as the beep sounded.

“Uh..hi Tony. It’s the kid. At least…I’m assuming I’m the kid. Right? Sorry, it’s Peter here. Um, anyway…I wondered if I could get some advice, mentor to mentee, about um…security. At home. And Aunt May’s safety when she’s away from home too. Umm…I’ve just…been thinking about Toomes, and what he knows about me. It’s…worrying me a bit. Uhh…if you could call me back sometime to discuss it, I’d…I’d really appreciate it. Thanks Tony. Bye.”     

Peter headed off to third period, expecting to hear back from Tony sometime next week. Maybe.

* * *

 

Peter and Ned followed the crowd outside at the end of the day and found themselves struggling to get through the throng of students who, for some reason, were just milling at the bottom of the school steps. When they finally made it through the tide of kids, the reason became apparent.

The car was bright, sleek, ostentatious, clearly incredibly expensive and the glass was heavily tinted. It was like Tony in vehicular form. Peter felt his phone buzz in his pocket and suddenly knew without looking who the message was from.

 _I’m having horrendous flashbacks to my misspent youth. Get in here._ The message read.

Peter opened the passenger door and in his peripheral vision he saw dozens of kids craning to get a look inside. Tony gave him an impatient look from the driver’s seat.

“Before I die of old age, kid.”

Peter gave Ned a wave and a grin (the look on Ned’s face was priceless), before hopping in the car and closing the door behind him.

Tony pulled away from the kerb and remained silent, seemingly concentrating on the road.

Peter broke the silence. “You really didn’t have to come down here, Mr Stark. I mean, I really didn’t want to put you out. I feel stupid for…”

“There’s nothing stupid about wanting to protect the people you love,” Tony cut in. “I wish I’d been that wise five years ago, never mind at fifteen. You wouldn’t believe how many stupid decisions I’ve made over the years that have put Pepper and Happy and other people at risk.”

Peter didn’t know what to say to that.

“Believe it or not,” Tony continued, “I’ve already got some safety protocols in place around your home.”

“You do?” Peter didn’t know whether to be grateful, impressed or annoyed.

“I do.” Tony glanced over and, seeing Peter’s expression, smiled. “Don’t worry. No cameras or mics in the bedrooms or bathroom. I promise you I’m not watching Aunt May get changed. I’m a happily engaged man these days.”

“I heard. Congratulations Tony.”

“Thanks kid. Anyway, it’s not stupid to want to have a contingency plan in place. I’ve been putting a few of my own in place recently.”

Peter watched Tony’s face as the man navigated the downtown roads.

“Oh?” he asked. “For any particular reason?”

Tony sighed. “Let’s discuss it over food, kid.”

A couple of minutes later they were parked outside a small, exclusive-looking restaurant and a waiter was ushering Tony to a secluded dining area. Peter trailed along behind, taking in the lavish décor and feeling significantly under-dressed.

Peter sat down across from Tony and accepted the menu offered to him. He opened the menu, stared for a second and then closed it.

Tony looked up at him and smirked.

“Obviously I’m paying kid, so just order whatever you damn well want. Ignore the price.”

Resolved to do just that, Peter re-opened the menu.

Once they had ordered, Tony handed Peter a computer pad and began running him through the security features installed around Peter’s home. James Bond type stuff which had apparently been in place in the apartment for months, and Peter hadn’t even noticed. Fingerprint sensors on all the window frames. Microphones in the main living areas, which only activated upon certain key words or sounds. Tiny security cameras outside the front door of the apartment and the whole apartment complex.

Tony then explained how the cameras linked back to facial recognition software, and that F.R.I.D.A.Y analysed everyone who entered and left the building. Peter’s mind boggled at the sophistication and likely expense of it all.

They discussed some security tech that Tony thought Aunt May might be willing to wear when she left the apartment. Finally, Peter got around to asking one of the questions that had been bothering him of late.

“What if I get exposed wide-scale, Mr Stark? Y’know…something that can’t be controlled. What do I do then? Aunt May and I won’t be able to just sit in our apartment waiting for every criminal I’ve ever busted to come find us. I won’t be able to keep going to Midtown.”

Tony pushed his plate aside. “Agreed. You need to be able to get out of dodge fast if that happens. Avengers HQ will always be open to the two of you, of course. Provided it, and I, are both still standing.”

 

Peter wasn't sure what Tony was implying with his last words, but he smiled in relief. “Thanks, Tony. That would be awesome.”

Tony flipped his phone over and over in his hands as he went on, "Of course it might not hurt to have a backup plan. Fake IDs, a safe house, that kind of thing. If you want, I can talk to someone who is experienced in arranging that sort of thing."

Peter accepted the offer gratefully. 

As they left the restaurant, Peter giving Tony a run-down on how school had been going, he heard several clicks off to his right. Looking in that direction, he spotted a man lowering a professional-looking camera that was aimed in their direction.

Tony didn’t even turn his head. “Ignore him,” he said, as he gently pushed Peter towards the car.

“Have we just been papped?” Peter asked.

“Probably.”

“That’s…not ideal.”

“Don’t worry about it kid. It will probably just be a dime sized photo in the Star Spotting section of some low-key magazine.”

* * *

 

Tony was a great mentor, but sometimes he was full of shit, Peter contemplated the next day as he ate his breakfast and stared at Ned’s message.

 _Dude! You’re famous! Check it!_ Followed by links to three major newspapers.

The photo of Tony and Peter exiting the restaurant was clear and crisp; Peter was easily identifiable from the image, his mouth open mid-ramble, as Tony smiled at him. 

Peter scanned the article. _Tony Stark has always denied all paternity claims, and has never been spotted spending time with children before, raising the question: could this unidentified young man be the one who slipped through? With his dark hair and eyes, and similar stature, he bears at least a passing resemblance to Stark. Could we be looking at the future of Stark Industries? In the past year alone, Stark Industries has experienced a…_

Peter groaned into his granola bowl. He wondered briefly if Tony had a contingency plan for this scenario. Then he realised that Tony had PR people who were probably paid the big bucks to deflect in this kind of situation.

He just had to hope that no-one at his school, other than Ned, had spotted the article.

* * *

 

Apparently a number of people at Midtown followed all things Tony Stark on Twitter. Plus, high school being high school, gossip flew faster than Tony’s Mark 45 Iron Man suit.

Peter supposed he shouldn’t be surprised.

By the end of first period he was already heartily sick of all the stares and whispers. By the end of the morning he had been greeted by more random students than he had during all his previous schooling put together. Even Ned, the most awesome best friend he could have, was starting to get on his nerves, spouting constant speculation about how Tony’s people would deal with it, and whether Tony ever would ask Peter to work for Stark Industries, and whether Ned could get a job there too, and, and, and…..

He loved Ned like a brother, but enough already.

Fame was weird.

The one person apparently completely disinterested was MJ. She sat next to him in second period Spanish class, and said not a word about it as they practised a conversation in Spanish together. For that reason alone, Peter sat down opposite her at lunchtime, prompting her to look up from her book, give him a once over, before returning to the pages.  

Flash had worn a slightly dumbfounded look for the first half of the day whenever he spotted Peter. It had been the only highlight of the whole thing. By lunchtime however, Flash’s expression had morphed into something else, and Peter’s heart sank as the other boy sauntered over.

“So, Parker, is it true you were born on the wrong side of the sheets?” Flash leered.

Peter hesitated. He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Flash.

“The thermometer of success is merely the jealousy of the malcontents,” came MJ’s voice from behind her book, which she lowered to pin Flash with a piercing look. “Think fast Flash, who said it?”

“What? What the hell? This is none of your… I wasn’t even talking to…” Flash spluttered.

“Salvador Dali. That’s who. What art form did his works take and where was he born?”

“I…I don’t see how…” Flash was backing away from the table in tiny, baby steps.

“You need to work on your general knowledge of the arts for AcaDec. I want us ready to blitz all categories. Study up between now and Thursday, ‘cause I’m grilling you at practice. Goodbye.”

With that MJ stuck her nose back in her book. Flash gave Peter an ugly look before shuffling off.

Ned was staring at MJ in part-awe, part-fear.

“Are we all getting quizzed on the arts on Thursday?” he asked.

“I haven’t decided yet,” came MJ’s voice. “It depends how much you all annoy me between now and then.”

“Cool, cool,” Ned held his hands up. “Message received: don’t wake the dragon.”

With that, Ned concentrated on his lunch, and missed seeing MJ’s eyes appearing over the top of her book again. Peter was still watching her and gave her a big, grateful smile, mouthing the word ‘thanks’.

It was hard to tell what she was thinking, with her eyes being the only part of her face visible. Still, the way MJ’s eyes remained locked on his for a second too long, or maybe some message they communicated to his subconscious, had heat pooling in Peter’s stomach. He could feel his cheeks heating up.

MJ seemed to notice too. Her eyes travelled across his face before disappearing for the final time behind her book.

Peter returned to his lunch, trying to ignore the warmth spreading through him. This was MJ, for god’s sake! MJ the Distant. MJ the Ruthless. Michelle ‘Shove Your Expectations’ Jones. Why was he reacting like this? On a reckless whim, he shot off a text to Tony.

_How do you contingency plan for girls?_

Again, he was surprised by the speed of Tony’s response.

_Ha! You don’t. Strap in and hope for the best, junior. And always use protection._

The timeless advice of Tony Stark, Peter mused, as he finished his sandwich.


End file.
